Dançar
to dance
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | danço | Eu danço forró todo fim de semana. — I dance forró every weekend. |
| você/ele/ela | dança | Ela dança desde os quatro anos de idade. — She has been dancing since she was four. |
| nós | dançamos | Nós dançamos juntos nas festas de família. — We dance together at family parties. |
| eles/elas | dançam | Eles dançam samba como se tivessem nascido para isso. — They dance samba as if they were born for it. |
In the Northeast, music commands the body. I dance without thinking — my feet already know the way. My cousin Cibele dances as if the floor would thank her. We dance at the festa junina without having planned anything — forró brings everyone together. The older ones dance better than any young person — and they know it with pride.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | dancei | Eu dancei a noite toda sem cansar. — I danced all night without getting tired. |
| você/ele/ela | dançou | Ela dançou no palco do Teatro Municipal. — She danced on the stage of the Municipal Theatre. |
| nós | dançamos | Nós dançamos a primeira música do casamento. — We danced the first song at the wedding. |
| eles/elas | dançaram | Eles dançaram em cima do trio elétrico. — They danced on top of the sound truck. |
Salvador's Carnival was unforgettable. I danced three days straight — my feet paid for it afterwards. My friend Tatiana danced on top of the sound truck at the Filhos de Gandhi block. We danced together in Barra until dawn. The most enthusiastic revellers danced non-stop from start to finish — and still wanted more.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | dançava | Eu dançava balé clássico quando era criança. — I used to do classical ballet as a child. |
| você/ele/ela | dançava | Ela dançava axé nos anos 90 com toda a animação. — She used to dance axé in the 90s with great enthusiasm. |
| nós | dançávamos | Nós dançávamos na praça toda noite de verão. — We used to dance in the square every summer evening. |
| eles/elas | dançavam | Eles dançavam samba de roda nas reuniões de família. — They used to do samba de roda at family gatherings. |
My grandparents used to dance at every ball held in town. I used to dance around them trying to copy the steps. My grandmother used to dance with a lightness that seemed to barely touch the floor. We all used to dance at the São João festivals — even those who said they didn't know how. The older couples used to dance with their eyes closed, communicating without words.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou dançar | Vou dançar na festa de formatura. — I'm going to dance at the graduation party. |
| você/ele/ela | vai dançar | Ela vai dançar no espetáculo de fim de ano. — She's going to dance in the end-of-year show. |
| nós | vamos dançar | Vamos dançar a primeira música como casal. — We're going to dance the first song as a couple. |
| eles/elas | vão dançar | Eles vão dançar no bloco do bairro no Carnaval. — They're going to dance in the neighbourhood block at Carnival. |
The wedding is in three weeks and the couple still haven't rehearsed. I'm going to dance the waltz even without knowing how — love teaches the steps. My sister is going to perform the choreography she prepared in secret as a surprise. We're all going to dance when the DJ plays that song. The guests are going to dance until the last note — we know this crowd.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | dançarei | Dançarei enquanto o corpo deixar. — I will dance for as long as my body allows. |
| você/ele/ela | dançará | A bailarina dançará pela última vez neste palco. — The ballerina will dance on this stage for the last time. |
| nós | dançaremos | Dançaremos em homenagem às tradições do povo. — We will dance in tribute to the traditions of the people. |
| eles/elas | dançarão | Os grupos folclóricos dançarão na abertura. — The folk groups will dance at the opening. |
The festival programme was published: "The national company will dance an original repertoire inspired by Amazonian folklore. We will dance in partnership with invited indigenous groups. The city's samba schools will dance in a historic joint presentation. I will personally dance at the opening as a tribute to the masters who taught me."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | dançaria | Eu dançaria a noite toda se não tivesse trabalho. — I would dance all night if I didn't have work. |
| você/ele/ela | dançaria | Ela dançaria mais se não tivesse vergonha. — She would dance more if she weren't shy. |
| nós | dançaríamos | Dançaríamos juntos se a música fosse boa. — We would dance together if the music were good. |
| eles/elas | dançariam | Eles dançariam na chuva sem se importar. — They would dance in the rain without caring. |
If shyness didn't exist, the world would be more beautiful. I would dance in the bank queue if a good song came on. My friend Celso would dance professionally — he has the talent, he lacks the courage. We would dance in the streets without needing a block party or an invitation. People would dance more — and argue less.
Dançar across the tenses
A short story using dançar in multiple tenses
Minha avó dançava o forró como se fosse respirar. Dançava descalça no quintal, com qualquer música que o vizinho tocasse. Os homens da cidade toda dançavam só para ter a chance de ser par dela.
Hoje ela tem oitenta e dois anos e ainda dança. Ontem dançou no aniversário de oitenta anos do seu Maneco — foi a primeira e a última na pista. Dançamos juntas uma música, eu tentando acompanhar o ritmo que ela carrega no sangue.
Na festa junina do mês que vem, vai dançar de novo. "Enquanto os joelhos deixarem, dançarei," ela diz, batendo o pé no chão.
Perguntei se dançaria com dor. Ela olhou como se a pergunta fosse absurda: "Dançaria com muito mais do que dor. Quem para de dançar para de viver."
My grandmother used to dance forró as if it were breathing. She used to dance barefoot in the garden, to whatever music the neighbour played. Every man in town used to dance just for the chance of being her partner. Today she's eighty-two and still dances. Yesterday she danced at Seu Maneco's eightieth birthday — she was the first and last on the dancefloor. We danced together for one song, me trying to keep up with the rhythm she carries in her blood. At next month's festa junina, she's going to dance again. "For as long as my knees allow, I will dance," she says, stamping her foot on the ground. I asked if she would dance through pain. She looked at me as if the question were absurd: "I would dance through much more than pain. Whoever stops dancing stops living."
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